A well-known class of insecticides includes the polychlorinated cyclic hydrocarbons with endomethylene-bridged structures. Most of these compounds are prepared by the well-known Diels-Alder [4+2] cycloaddition reaction.
The tradenames of various of these insecticides are: Chlordane, Heptachlor, Heptachlor epoxide, Betadihydroheptachlor, Telodrin, Aldrin, Dieldrin, Endrin, Endosulfan (Thiodane), Aldodan, Mirex and Nonachlor.
These insecticides are conventionally used for the control of cockroaches, ants, termites and other household pests, soil insects and a variety of vegetable and field crop pests. They are good contact insecticides whose symptoms of poisoning include disturbance of the ganglia of the central nervous system upon absorption by the insect.
In U.S. applications Ser. Nos. 454,576 (filed Mar. 25, 1974 in the name of Wong, and now abandoned), and 672,322, filed Mar. 31, 1976, there is disclosed a class of compounds possessing an activity similar to the polychlorinated cyclic hydrocarbons. These compounds are, for the most part, the bridgehead nitrogen analogs of the above-noted commercial insecticides. However, they are advantageous in many respects, one being that they are more readily degraded after performing their function thereby lessening the deleterious impact on the environment.